


Downtime

by Archadian_Skies



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Friendship, Gen, Marriage, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-19
Updated: 2013-07-24
Packaged: 2017-12-20 16:09:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/889239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archadian_Skies/pseuds/Archadian_Skies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Multi-chaptered terraforming of the six years before the closure of the Jaeger program and Raleigh Becket joins the team. (Generous helpings of liberty taken with the characters and plot)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Russian Rebellion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mako admires Lt. Sasha Kaidanovsky, and wonders if she’ll ever be able to command such a presence.

As she passed Lt. Kaidanovsky, Mako paused to bow respectfully and allow her the right of way. She watched the tall Russian stride purposefully down the corridor, people scrambling to give her purchase, and wondered if she'd ever be able to command such a presence.

Just an inch shy of six feet tall, Sasha was built like a soldier and wore her bleached hair and makeup like warpaint. The men of the Jaeger Program learnt quickly that just because she was a woman, it certainly did not make her a pushover. Four broken noses, one broken arm, two chipped teeth, five concussions and a terribly unamused Marshall could attest to that.

Mako admired her, and a part of her yearned to grow to be such a woman. The Marshall raised her to be disciplined and in control at all times, for lashing out in anger was a surefire way to make preventable mistakes; to keep a cool head was to keep a clear mind, and a clear mind made the best decisions.

Sometimes, though, she wanted to be the raging fire beneath Siberian snow. She wanted to be the burning anger that could defend an entire country for years on end. She wanted the confidence to change her hair and wear red warpaint. She wanted to walk down a corridor and have juniors bow to her. 

* * *

 

"Lieutenant?" 

The heavy door was pulled back, revealing the other Kaidanovsky. The silent co-pilot gave her a quizzical look.

"Is Lieutenant Sasha here?" Mako asked, clutching her bag just a little closer to her chest. The Russian was not much older than her but easily a metre taller, and was an imposing figure that seemed to fill a room without even trying. He gave a brief nod and stepped aside to allow her in.

"Ms. Mori, hello." Sasha greeted her with respectful nod. "How can I help?"

She looked over her shoulder at the looming figure of Aleksis, and turned back to Sasha with a look of uncertainty. Catching on, she gave the man a lazy wave. Barking something in Russian, she punctuated the sentence with a mischievous smile before he nodded and took his leave.

"Please help me." Mako bowed and held out the small bag, not looking up to meet her eyes. "I want to put colour in my hair."

Sasha took the bag from her and opened it to find a small box of hair dye. She brightened immediately and laughed.

"Of course! But first we change you to blonde, this ok?" Touching Mako's black hair before gesturing at her own, she tried to explain further. "Your hair is too dark. We have to make light before we change to another."

"Ok." She found herself smiling at the other's enthusiasm, and showed her the box. "I want to make it blue. Kaiju blue."

"Ah," Sasha grinned, giving her shoulder a fond clap, "you want to wear blood of your enemies in your hair. This very Russian. I like it."


	2. What's In A Name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Jaeger teams are required to take basic English language lessons for ease of communication. This proves a little difficult, but what began as an exercise in frustration soon leads to an excellent opportunity for the teams to strengthen their bonds.

In the aftermath of the attack on Tokyo, Mako discovered not only had she lost her family, she had lost her friends and her school too. The Marshall took her in and raised her, enrolling her in an international school near the base as well as hiring a private tutor so he could learn her language. It resulted in her bi-lingual ability, but a downside of the schooling was a partial illiteracy in her own language. Mako could recognise basic reading level Japanese but the intricate Kanji, the Chinese characters, eluded her.

The Wei Tang Clan, born and raised in Shanghai, were a sprightly presence in the Hong Kong Shatterdome. Across the three of them, Mako saw how balanced their personalities were: Cheung, the eldest, was headstrong and calm; Jin was passionate and spontaneous; Hu was cheerful and laidback. Easily approachable and able to speak the local language, they often served as the interpreters for the local engineering staff.

Today they sat at a table in the mess-hall, basketball at Hu's feet, snacking and poring over their notebooks. 

"Excuse me," Mako made her presence known, "may I sit here?" 

The triplets looked up and smiled at the same time, and Mako wondered if they were ever truly disconnected out of the Drift.

"Sure." Cheung nodded, gesturing at the empty space. Jin scooted over to make room, and Hu simply stood up and changed to the other side so he could face them all.

"The Marshall ensured I learned English and Japanese, but I could not learn extensively how to write." She began, opening her book. "I was wondering if you could teach me? I would like to learn the Kanji of my language."

"It not the same," Jin began.

"But similar!" Hu piped up and offered her his pen. "Can you write your name?"

She accepted the pen and wrote the formal iteration of her name: that much she could do, of course.

"See, a forest," Cheung pointed at her surname, "is made of many trees."

"Our languages think in pictures." Hu elaborated.

"Child." Jin pointed at the last character of her first name. "See? Same in our language."

"If we teach you," Hu grinned.

"You might speak Mandarin instead." Jin finished with a chuckle. Mako giggled, finding their cheer contagious. A bark interrupted their lesson, and Mako turned to find Max sitting obediently by her feet.

"Max!" She greeted, crouching so she could spoil the excited dog with attention. "Where is Marshall Hansen?"

"Dad's up on deck keepin' watch whilst Marshall Pentecost's buggered off somewhere." Chuck answered for him, offering a lazy wave. "C'mere you slobberin' monster, don't mess up Miss Mori's boots."

"Hansen. How do write your name?" Hu asked curiously and pushed his notebook towards the young man.

"What?" The Australian blinked.

"They are teaching me to write in Chinese. There are Chinese symbols in my language but I did not learn them." Mako explained, and Chuck took a seat beside the youngest triplet after a moment of contemplation.

"It's just ordinary. Nothin' special. Charles Hansen." He scribbled it quickly, his writing a slanted scrawl.

"But you are Chuck." Cheung tilted his head curiously.

"Why you write Charles?" Jin pointed at the name.

"Chuck's me nickname. It's what me folks call me." Chuck shrugged, idly patting Max with his left hand as he wrote 'Chuck' with his right. The steady march of boots caught their attention, and they all looked up to see who approached.

" _Kotyonok_." Sasha greeted fondly, resting her hand on Mako's head. 

"Miss Sasha." She smiled, bowing politely. "Would you like to sit with us? We're-" Mako paused, unsure as to how to explain it; they weren't strictly writing in Chinese any longer.

"Writing names." Hu finished.

"English is different for us." Cheung sighed.

"Is all sounds." Jin frowned.

"That makes it easier." Chuck interrupted. Sasha looked them over, before sharing a glance with her husband. Aleksis shrugged, and they both took a seat at the long table.

"Russian is all sounds too, but we have different alphabet." She accepted the pen from Cheung and wrote both their full names.

"That looks too long to be 'Sasha'." Chuck frowned. "And that looks nothing like Sasha."

"It is Aleksandra." She informed him, tapping the letters. "And it is in Russian. Different alphabet, Chuck." She wrote his name in Russian, beneath the English lettering. Aleksis retrieved the pen from her and began to write beneath their names.

"Our name is same." Sasha gestured as Aleksis continued to write. "We are both Aleksandr but he is boy and I am girl name. To make short is 'Sasha', but is same for boy and girl. So I am Sasha and he is Aleksis."

"Like you are Chuck, not Charles." Jin said slowly, a pleased smile spreading on his lips as he understood.

"Ah, right. Gotcha." He nodded. He wrote everyone's name in English. "See, there's nothin' hard about the English alphabet, but mate your language don't look easy at all."

"Each character is sound and symbol." Cheung laughed. "Name has meaning in our language."

"So how do you write my name?" Chuck asked curiously, handing over the pen. "Or Sasha or Aleksis, for that matter?"

"Well," he frowned in thought, "I can write it by sound."

"Or by meaning. Does your name mean something?" Hu cocked his head. 

"Charles? Nah. Not that I know of." 

Aleksis made a gesture of opening a book before tapping his palm three times.

"Oh, why didn't we think of that earlier?" Sasha laughed, reaching over to point at Mako's bag. "Tablet, _Kotyonok_. We can learn."

* * *

 

It's late by the time she retires to her room, but her mind is buzzing and she feels rather giddy; Mako doesn't locate a trace of tiredness in her at all despite the hour. She finds the small cube of blu-tack on her desk and begins to pinch small sections out of it, rolling the putty-like substance between thumb and forefinger to heat it up.

She pins the torn notepaper on the wall and admires the different versions of her written name. It's scrawled in English, caligraphically executed in Chinese, and patiently measured in Russian. She isn't a pilot, no not yet, but when she traces the letters and remembers the laughter and the smiles and the care that went into each one, Mako feels a sense of belonging.

Maybe, just maybe, she could build a name for herself alongside them.

 


	3. Jenga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A game of basketball in the sparring room leads to objects stuck amongst the beams. They were going to need a ladder- and a very tall one at that.

It had started with a challenge and ended with two basketballs wedged in the rafters of the sparring room.

Bored with playing basketball in the main section of the Shatterdome, Cheung suggested they up the stakes and play where greater skill was required. The sparring room had a high ceiling and exposed metal beams which made for perfect impromtu hoops. The triplets fell into another heated game, quickly adjusting to the much higher 'hoops' and using their physical training and years of practice to lob the ball neatly up and over the beams.

That was until Jin threw the basketball at the space between crossbeams, and the ball became stuck. Hu picked up the spare ball they'd brought along and aimed as best he could, intending to dislodge the first ball by knocking it from its position.

Instead, the second ball became neatly wedged beside it.

"Why didn't you throw it harder?!" Jin grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Why did you get it stuck up there in the first place?!" Hu retaliated by shoving his brother away. "What idiot aims for crossbeams anyway?"

"Well now what?" Cheung demanded, gauging their situation. "It's storming outside and I'm not going out to buy new ones."

"It was your fault for suggesting this." Jin muttered, and Cheung scowled at him.

"This is all _our_ fault. Now how do we get them down?"

"Ah!" Hu ran to the rack of wooden staves stored on the wall. "We can throw these like spears!"

* * *

There were two basketballs, one broken wooden staff and three wooden staves wedged in the rafters of the sparring room.

* * *

Cheung was ready to throttle his brothers, but he knew he wasn't free of blame either. This had been his suggestion in the first place, and one of the staves lying across the beams had landed there by his actions.

"We have to get them down. All of them." Hu craned up and frowned at the objects scattered on the beams. 

"Yeah, they'll know. They always take logs of the items." Jin sighed. 

"What if we stand on each other's shoulders?" Hu suggested.

"We're not tall enough to reach, even if all three of us did it." Cheung stated.

"How about we do that and then use a staff to poke everything down?" Jin revised their plan, and the two brothers hummed in thought. 

"Alright. Let's do this."

* * *

There were two basketballs, one broken wooden staff, three wooden staves and one Wei Tang triplet in the rafters of the sparring room.

* * *

Since they were of similar weight, height and build, the plan had been precarious from the start. Still, not one to back down from a challenge (and incredibly averse to being scolded by staff), the triplets attempted to clamber up on each other to form a human ladder. They learned quickly that balance was the key, and yet it was a key they did not possess.

Unable to support the weight of two grown men, Cheung's knees buckled and he took Hu down with him. Jin instinctively had jumped up, using his brother's shoulders as a springboard to launch himself out of harm's way. Latching onto the beam, he hoisted himself up and straddled it.

He had saved himself from falling, but had gotten himself stuck up in the rafters along with all of the objects they had intended to rescue.

"I am going to kill the both of you the moment I get down."

* * *

Their English wasn't the greatest, and he couldn't speak but between mangled sentences and hand gestures they managed to hold a conversation.

They needed a human ladder. A very big one.

Aleksis supposed no one fit the criterion more than he, so he agreed to the task. Sasha was elsewhere, anyway, and the current engineering e-journal was beginning to disinterest him. He followed them to the sparring room, and from what he'd pieced together from their sentences there was something stuck up in the roof and they needed help bringing it down.

He didn't realize he would be rescuing one of the triplets.

"Hi." Jin greeted with an exasperated sigh. The other two looked downright sheepish.

"Help?"

* * *

There were two basketballs, one broken wooden staff, three wooden staves and two Wei Tang triplets in the rafters of the sparring room.

* * *

The first time Chuck had been introduced to the Kaidanovskys he hadn't been in the best mood. He'd spat something insulting at Sasha as a knee-jerk reaction when she'd quipped about his prideful nature. The next moment he was dangling two feet in the air by the scruff of his jacket and staring into the furious eyes of her husband. Lesson immediately learnt.

That meant he tended to keep a wide berth from the Russians in general, but if they approached him he kept his replies minimal and interaction sparse.

"Mate, what?" He blurted, as Aleksis held out a piece of paper. "You want me to what?"

**[Jin and Hu stuck in roof of sparring room. Please help and stand on my shoulders like a ladder and we help them down]**

"How do you even manage to get up there?"

Aleksis shrugged. That he couldn't answer.

* * *

Even with Aleksis providing a 7ft extension, the sharp bones of Hu's feet in his shoulders had dislodged him from the precarious balancing act, sending Hu to a similar fate as Jin. The triplet already stuck in the rafters grabbed his brother's hand and hauled him up in order to prevent him from a potentially disastrous fall.

"Chuck," Jin suggested down at Cheung and Aleksis, "get the Australian. We make better ladder."

There was some sort of insult mentioning 'Cirque du Soleil' which Cheung let slide as Chuck entered the room and clambered atop Aleksis' shoulders. He'd beat him at basketball later. Hoisting himself up, he was quick to dislodge all the gear stuck up there before bracing himself against Hu's outstretched arms. Jin used their now secured 'ladder' and climbed down as carefully as he could.

"Oi, watch it!" Chuck barked as he added weight onto the Australian's shoulders before swiftly backflipping away from them. 

"Hu, your turn." Cheung coaxed, and the youngest triplet gratefully and gradually retreated back down. A misplaced foot in the small of Chuck's back caused the Australian to yelp and jerk forward, their ladder all too suddenly collapsing into a pile of sore young men more like grumbling schoolboys than respected Jaeger pilots.

Jin was the first to laugh and it was too contagious a sound to ignore. It soon caught on, and even Aleksis found himself chuckling along.

"What's going on here?" A stern voice demanded, and they all turned to face the owner.

"Ranger Hansen." The triplets greeted and bowed in unison. Aleksis nodded respectfully and Chuck managed a lazy wave.

"Basketball." Jin pointed.

"Training." Cheung replied.

"Sparring." Hu informed.

"Keep outta trouble, you hear me?" Herc commanded, giving them each a stern glare. "Last thing we need right now is trouble. Marshall's due back soon with the last crew member, so look smart, lads."

"Sir." They bowed again. 

Chuck bent down and scooped up one of the basketballs, spinning it on his finger before tossing it to and fro between his hands.

"So, how did this game go again?"

"Up there!" Jin pointed up at the rafters.

"We teach you." Cheung replied.

"It's easy." Hu informed, and picked up the other ball. He threw it at Aleksis, the Russian catching it easily before tossing it back. "Double team, best of five?" 

"Losing team has to go out and smuggle drinks back into base." Chuck declared. "I'll take one o' yous and the Russian on my team." 

"You're on." Jin grinned, and snatched the ball from his hands.


End file.
